Item one of new business was to sign into effect the Salvation Army heat share agreement. The heat share agreement is an annual agreement the city enters into with the Salvation Army.

Anybody in the community can donate to Salvation Army, then 80 percent of that money goes back to the community to those individuals in need, to help heat their home during the winter months. Assistance that individuals can receive is available once per year at a maximum at $400.

St. James City Council Members decided unanimously to sign this agreement.

Next was a resolution authorizing a contract with SWMHP for SCDP Funding. The SWMHP is a small cities development program which schedules to close at the end of the year.

There are several applicants still waiting for the service; for this reason the city has looked at another small cities program. However the process is a three tier process with the final application submitted in January.

City council moved unanimously to work on step one of the three tier program which is the preliminary gathering of information. The costs are broken down by each step. This first step will cost the city $2,000. Since the city enters this project with Sleepy Eye that cost will be split in half and will cost the city just $1,000.

Project planning includes meeting with the community to define the grant activities, design of program and target area. It also includes holding a community meeting, and implementation of the community survey. If the community survey yields a successful result the project will proceed to the pre-application phase.

Residents of St. James are encouraged to get their vehicles and trailers off the streets while the St. James Street Department is doing road sealing during this next week. Residents should keep their vehicles off the road if their street has not yet been sealed. Vehicles not off the road have to be moved or will risk being towed.